My Vow of Silence (And
Why You Should Try a Silent Vacation)
The answer is simple: to
awaken awareness.
Most of us fall through
our days in a kind of trance-like state. We don’t notice the details of what’s
going on around us, because we’re so busy living in the past and the future
that what’s happening right now simply becomes a technicality that needs to be
dealt with in order to get to our next destination.
A little
experiment:
When you drive from point A to point B, can you remember what you saw on
the way when you get out of the car? Or were you so preoccupied that your
brain just sort of edited in your surroundings, without you actually having
exact cognizance of your ride?
By cultivating awareness you wake up to each moment of your life, to
experience it fully and actively, and to snap out of autopilot. Awareness
means you are present, you have clarity, you see broadly, and you’re awake.
One of the ways in which you can cultivate your own awareness is to
actively break routines in your life. The moment you break your routine
in a significant way, you wake up to it. You bring yourself into the
present. It becomes clear whether the action has value for you or not.
Taking a vow of silence is one way to give your life a bit of a shake
and to allow awareness to flood into your life.
What
Is It
There
are two types of Vows of Silence:
Private
…happens
in a retreat setting or in a monastery. The person is removed from their
usual day-to-day environment, and the vow of silence is often coupled with long
hours of meditation, dietary restrictions and other forms of purification.
The
person is cut off from all communication with the outside world: all stimuli is
removed, phones switched off and other devices confiscated, offering the
participant the opportunity to turn their intention inwards and to really look
closely at themselves, their emotions and to delve through the deluge of stuff
that usually comes pouring out in this kind of process.
The
person is supported by other people who share their environment, and if for
whatever reason they are required to leave, someone will accompany them to speak
or converse on their behalf. It may last for any length of time, anywhere
from a couple of days to a lifetime commitment.
Public
…does
not happen in isolation. The person does not completely retreat from
society, and they are still required to interact with their environment and
other people – the extent to which completely depends on their needs and
desires.
The
aims of such a vow are slightly different to that of a private vow of silence,
because it’s not a complete “silence” in the sense of ceasing all
communication. It is most commonly used as a form of protest, or to focus
attention.
For
the past twenty three days, I took a public vow of silence.
Silence
allows you to watch your mind and become aware of the thoughts that you may be
acting on unconsciously. When you see the thoughts, you can make a conscious
choice to act on the thought or change your mind, instead of going along with
the noise. I have seen people who don't want to look at themselves keep going
until something happens that makes them stop — a sickness or an accident — but
it gives them that reflective, quiet space where they can face what is
difficult in their mind. We each have a unique purpose to fulfill in this life
and inklings can come in those quiet moments. ~Swami Radhananda
